


Once More

by iori_sempai



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 09:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5000293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iori_sempai/pseuds/iori_sempai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A senseless repetition or a lesson in futility? Neither, Tsubaki thinks. A chance for change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once More

Tsubaki has seen many things, even if she does not remember them clearly anymore. With each repetition, the previous drift further and further away from her, until she honestly doesn't know whether the thirtieth time plays out the exact same way as the thirteenth.

What she does know is that she will not give up.

She sees the sadness in Rachel Alucard's eyes, and wonders how much longer she's been seeing what Tsubaki now does. Thousands of repetitions and alternate versions of days, years, lifetimes playing out before her.

Tsubaki remembers enough about the very first day--the zeroth day, before everything starts to blur:

"I will kill him," she vowed angrily, remembering how Jin had looked when he'd first been brought to the base. With normal healing ars, it would have taken an entire squad a week-- and even then, Tsubaki doubts that Jin would ever return to one-hundred percent. Celica's magic is different, stronger, but she is still only one girl, and each day Tsubaki sees Jin like that only deepens her anger. _Where are you hiding?_ she wanted to shout to the heavens sometimes, but eventually, the answer was revealed.

Tsubaki took one last look at Jin, still being healed, prepared for battle, and took off after her enemy without a word.

Ragna the Bloodedge was a tough opponent. She had faced him a few times in the past, but her power and resolve had only grown sharper. Still, she did not let her confidence get in the way of battle, parrying and attacking with measured thrusts.

Soon, she began to think that the flow of combat was in her favor, that she could do this.

" _Tsubaki Yayoi!_ "

A violent howl that was so familiar, yet shockingly distorted enough it made her draw back in combat. And it was a good thing she had; a large blade of ice grazed her shoulder the very moment she stepped back.

"Jin-nii-sama..." How had he found this place? He had still been in bed, Celica hovering over him when she had left in the morning.

Now, Jin was boiling with an anger she'd never seen him possess, and it was all directed at her. Tsubaki was not a child anymore, not looking for his favor as a brother, superior, or anything else, yet she had still felt her knees grow weak when confronted with his wrath.

"Didn't you say you would give your life for me, Jin-nii-sama? Didn't you tell me to carry on, and do what I must in your stead?!"

Jin had armed his blade in response to those words, ready to fight her if he had to. Tsubaki felt at a loss. "That and this are completely separate things. I'm the only one in the world who can kill Ragna the Bloodedge," he said, his voice dropping low. "Not even you, Tsubaki, can take that away from me."

She was confused and frustrated at his words, but her chest did not fill with anger toward him. Instead, a sense of calmness swept over her. His eyes were as sharp as his blade. This Jin was not the same man who had saved her. Foolishly, she thought he would change his mind when he saw how serious she was, but Jin attacked her, as though willing to kill all who got in his way, including her.

Before it came to that, Tsubaki yielded. Surely, Jin would be able to do it, she thought. But even with Celica's healing, his wounds caught up to him. He started to lose the battle. Ragna had him now, and Tsubaki couldn't get there in time--

Stab.

The sharpened claws of the beast slid easily into flesh. But not Jin's.

In the end, Ragna the Bloodedge died by his own hand. He slumped forward, lifeless-- and almost immediately, a pulse of energy with his body at its core vibrated through the air. He moved again, twitching as a deep darkness, intersected with glowing red lines, began to overtake his form.

Tsubaki couldn't hold back her trembling at the sight. She nearly lost herself staring into that abysmal being, until a voice stopped her.

"Tsubaki." Clear, crisp and calm.

An anchor Tsubaki used to pull her eyes away, focusing on Rachel Alucard instead. "It's time," she said simply.

Tsubaki had not known her very well, or very long, but there was still regret. Rachel had helped her, and was willing to sacrifice herself to seal whatever had been unleashed within Ragna's body. Rachel had believed in Tsubaki and Jin, but they had failed her. Tsubaki clenched her jaw.

"Do not be sad," Rachel told her, a strange softness to her voice. "I don't deserve your pity."

Swallowing, Tsubaki tightened her grip on her blade, calling forth the full power of the Izayoi.

Just as she swung her blade, a sense of vertigo overcame her, and the world went black.

When she woke, Makoto was standing in front of her. "We've managed to locate Ragna the Bloodedge, Tsubaki..."

Locate him? But she'd already... No. It must have been a strange dream, she’d thought.

But then, the occurrences were all the same before she left the building in pursuit. Only one thing had changed, the place where they'd found him.

Tsubaki stopped in the middle of her pursuit, a mess of unsorted thoughts flying through her head. "Rachel..." she called out, hoping to be heard. "What happened? Was I too late?"

When she turned her head, Rachel was standing before her, a puzzled frown on her childlike face. "You recall the past events?"

"...Yes. I... Ragna the Bloodedge died. And I was about to... do as you asked. But… before I could, I found myself here again." Tsubaki felt so strange talking about the future-- an alternate future-- but Rachel took all of her words in with only a fraction of surprise.

"It was the Master Unit manipulating time once more," Rachel explained, the corners of her frown dipping deeper. A distant look came to her eyes. "I underestimated her tenacity. That child never gives up trying to rewrite her story..." Then, her gaze fell on Tsubaki's face. "You know what you need to do this time. If Ragna dies... you must do it quickly, before Amaterasu can start things over."

Tsubaki nodded, and Rachel vanished, leaving only the echo of her words behind. As Tsubaki traveled to her target, a strange feeling took root in her chest. Hope.

She could do it this time. She and Jin could slay Ragna. This...was a second chance.

But even if the place had changed, Tsubaki was shocked to see how much of it stays the same. Jin found her mid-battle, stopped her again and, too stubborn for her words, was willing to do anything to have his way.

This time, Tsubaki knew very well that he wouldn't be able to take Ragna by himself. He would have to forgive her for what she was about to do. Instead of backing down, she decided that she would face her Jin-nii-sama head on, and get him out of the way.

She had seen which wounds were bothering him during the previous cycle. Dodging Jin's blows, Tsubaki aimed her blows to the left of his spine, at his right knee and shoulder. It hurt her to attack him so, to see his expression of rage when she continued exploiting his weak points, but eventually Jin was unable to go on any longer. His consciousness faded for a moment, and Tsubaki used that precious moment to hit him in the head with the hilt of her blade.

"I'm sorry, Jin-nii-sama. Ragna the Bloodedge must be killed..." With that, she turned away.

Tsubaki didn't have long to catch her breath. Chasing after Ragna and fighting him so soon after the previous battle proved to be too taxing. She found herself in Jin's position, the edges of her vision turning black as Ragna's dark claws raked her side. _It’s all over, isn't it?_ rang in her head, but in the next moment--

Those claws dug deep into Ragna’s own chest. The same as the last time.

Rachel appeared before her before Tsubaki could even take it all in.

"Hurry, Tsubaki. Do it quickly," she commanded, as if she were talking about ripping off a bandaid.

But the hope in Tsubaki's chest hadn't gone away. Everything that happened would fade away if she waited. They could destroy the evil inside Ragna, slay him, and let Rachel live if they did it right. They had the chance.

"We were so close," Tsubaki said quietly, not moving her sword. "We... we can kill him. We _will._ "

Rachel's eyes widened slightly. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Before everything faded to black, Tsubaki could hear a soft, bitter laugh.

This time, Tsubaki goes to Jin as soon as he's conscious. "Let me help you, Jin-nii-sama."

She had seen before how stubborn he was, about his brother being his prize, his purpose alone, but she tries to be gentle and patient. "You can't do it alone," she tells him point blank.

Jin will not listen to her. Now that she is at his bedside, Tsubaki can see that his eyes are dark with the kind of madness that takes years to grow. "If you get in my way," he bites out, "I’ll consider even you my enemy."

Tsubaki can still remember the frozen bite of Jin's attacks, the weight of his punches like a past daydream. "I know," she says, her breath stuck in her throat. Instead of going off to fight Ragna alone, she decides that she will help Jin along the way, and pray that he will be able to do it on his own.

He can't.

Ragna dies, and neither of them are to blame.

"I'll do it next time, if it comes to that," Tsubaki says to Rachel the third time, and everytime after that.

What she is really thinking is, _Next time, I won't have to._

_Next time, the beast will be slain._

Forty cycles have passed, but Tsubaki tries to remain steadfast. The smile on Rachel's face when she hears her excuses becomes sadder with every meeting, and the hope in Tsubaki's chest fades a little more every time the world resets.

If she does everything correctly, she can fight Ragna, truly hurt him and slow him down, then back off when Jin arrives. Jin always gets angry with her, but Tsubaki is not the girl he had risked his life to save (it feels like forever since then. To everyone else, only four days have passed).

She is not the same woman from even the first iteration. Jin's outrage hardly bothers her now, and she meets his gaze with as much ferocity. "If you can't do it, I will."

Jin always seems insulted at first, but then he calms down. It steels Jin's resolve, makes him fight harder than anything else she tries.

But even when Jin has the upper hand, killing Ragna the Bloodedge has more consequences than simply ridding this world of evil. It means killing Jin's only older brother. Near the end, Jin always hesitates before the final blow.

That moment of hesitation is the signal of his defeat. Ragna's claws shoot out, squeezing Jin’s throat tightly and draining him of life.

Tsubaki rushes forward to separate them and rejoins the battle, but the beast, vitality restored, can not be so easily defeated. A single misstep and-- Ragna dies.

Tsubaki feels red-hot irritation toward him for it. If he was able to control himself for that last second, then why could he not hold himself for her, and let her do the honors? That way-- that way, she could end it all.

(Once, and only once, Tsubaki decides that Jin's hesitation is her chance to end it all. He never wants her to interfere, but like this, she can easily slip past his guard. Focused on Jin, Ragna is wide open to her. Once her line of attack is readied, Tsubaki calls forth the power of the Izayoi to slay the beast and Ragna in one blow.

A foolish jolt of relief and victory shot through her when she'd stabbed at Ragna's chest, and felt her final attack connect. Tsubaki had never considered that she would underestimate how honed Jin's senses were after years of training, and how much he would sacrifice out of pride.

"Tsubaki," Jin says, quietly, painfully.

The red blood dripping onto her fingers is his.

It is the first and only time that Tsubaki feels what it’s like to die before the day is seamlessly reset.)

"Will you be able to kill Ragna the Bloodedge?" Tsubaki asks quietly.

"Of course, I will." Jin's voice is as strong as ever. Tsubaki wishes she could believe him.

"What I mean is…” she corrects herself, “will you be able to kill your older brother, Jin-nii-sama?"

Jin's eyes narrow as he looks at her, as though her words are completely unfounded. If only he knew. "Yes. It's because he's my brother that he must die by my hand."

All Tsubaki had been looking for was reassurance with her question, a reason to continue this farce while her heart was still soft. But it lights a fire in Jin, and this time, there is no hesitation in any of his blows.

_Could it be...?_

Tsubaki feels her breath coming in hard as she watches Jin fight. Jin-nii-sama... is winning. Not just winning. Ragna is losing. On the edge. She's never seen the tables turned this far. It's... finally going to happen.

Jin has the beast on the ropes, an icy slash and Ragna topples to the ground. Tsubaki can feel it when Jin readies his blade, and watches, eyes wide, as he raises his sword to deliver the final blow.

It doesn't come.

The beast is still reeling, so there's still time. "Jin-nii-sama!" she calls out, half in anger. _I'll do it myself_ , she thinks for a second, but the memories are still too fresh from her last attempt. The flash of Jin's pained expression stuns her, and she can't take a single step forward.

"I'm sorry, Tsubaki..." Jin says. His sword falls away, dropping uselessly to the ground, and Jin's body follows. "Nii-san, I can't do it."

Jin has a thousand openings, even for a half-dead opponent, but Tsubaki knows that he will live.

Ragna's life ends in the exact same manner as every time before it.

Tsubaki drops to her knees when Rachel appeals before her.

"I'm sorry," Tsubaki says finally, tears in her eyes. She'd done everything she could. She had tried it so many ways, and in the end, the best possible result is this one. No matter how many times she tries to comfort herself with that knowledge, she feels inept. Useless.

Rachel's hand finds her cheek, and lifts her head. The look on Rachel's face is bittersweet as she speaks. "Some things can never be changed, no matter how long you wait."

Hot tears course down Tsubaki's face, and a sob breaks free. "I couldn't... do anything."

Rachel's smile widens slightly. Her voice is surprisingly gentle. "Even so, Tsubaki, I must thank you. For your efforts, and your hope. For letting my life come to an end."

Rachel had called on her, had asked her to do this, and while Tsubaki had failed over and over again with regard to both Ragna, and Rachel... This time, she would do her duty.

She swallows the rest of her sorrow, and gets to her feet.

"Now," Rachel says, "quickly.”


End file.
